


Once upon a time in Tokyo

by dyrdyar



Category: Gintama
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Gintama manga spoilers, Happy birthday gin-san!!!, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Modern Setting, Post-Canon, soft domestic gintaka for the souls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:00:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26929294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyrdyar/pseuds/dyrdyar
Summary: “Where are you going?” Gintoki grabs Takasugi’s wrist, pouting. “Feed me.”“Are those hands only for decoration? Go eat by yourself.” Takasugi shakes off Gintoki’s grip.“Shinsuke-kun, today is my birthday, you know? I want to be pampered by my boyfriend. Also, I would really appreciate it if you wear a nurse outfit while you spoil me.”“Eat shit, Gintoki.” Takasugi says.“No. I will eat the pancakes Shinsuke made with his love and I will have him feed me.”“Don’t throw a tantrum like a brat, idiot. What are you, five?” Takasugi asks, annoyed.In the glittering metropolis of Tokyo, Gintoki and Takasugi celebrates Gintoki's birthday.(Modern-setting. Domestic GinTaka.)
Relationships: Sakata Gintoki/Takasugi Shinsuke
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Once upon a time in Tokyo

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this one for Gintoki's birthday! Thank god I managed to finish this one in time... Happy birthday, Gin-san!
> 
> Anyways, despite being set in modern setting, this story contains manga spoilers so beware :D

The brightly lit station is filled with people. All kinds of regular Tokyo citizens could be seen, from tired looking salary men, gaudy high school girls talking in shrill voices, moms who are picking up their kids from cram school, to youngsters in impeccable fashion sense out to experience nightlife. This large number of people could be attributed to the rush hour, and despite knowing that, Sakata Gintoki still finds himself growing increasingly impatient.

_Who cares about rush hour, I am in a rush myself here, dammit._

After he escapes from the infernal queue to leave the station, Gintoki finds his pace quickening as he navigates the busy street of the shopping district near the station. The futuristic city’s neon lights are too dazzling and confusing for newcomers, but Gintoki, a true Tokyoite, is able to make his way around the city easily. He has lived for years in this city, every turn and corner are as familiar to him as the back of his own hand.

The silver haired man enters an apartment building in a hurry. He sprints across the lobby when he sees the lift closing its door in front of his eyes, barely able to squeeze himself before the door closes completely. The lift is empty save for an elderly woman, who smiles warmly at him.

“Hello, Gin-san. Back from an errand?” The old woman greets.

“Yeah, you could say that. How are you, Granny Fumi?”

“Oh, I am fine.” The old woman laughs. “Thank you again for your help the other day, Gin-san. Both my husband and I didn’t know anything to do about that new television set. Honestly, if only he didn’t insist on getting a new model out of nowhere…”

“Don’t sweat it, granny. Men are prideful like that, you know. They act first and think about the consequences later.”

“You are very right, Gin-san. Say, it has been a few months since you moved in here. Have you got used to living here?”

Gintoki ruffles his hair. “More or less, yes. It's all thanks to you.”

“Oh, right! How about you guys come over for dinner sometime? I want to thank you for always fixing things up for me.”

“I appreciate the offer, Granny. Thanks a bunch. ” 

The lift finally stops slowly and the floor marker lights up. Granny Fumi gathers her belongings and bows to Gintoki. The kind-hearted old woman has done a lot for Gintoki and Takasugi ever since they moved in a few months ago. From giving extra food to making sure they receive the circular notice, Granny Fumi’s kindness somehow reminds Gintoki of a certain old woman he knew. Otose was way scarier though. 

The red-eyed man gets out on the 10th floor. He stealthily walks down the corridor despite the absence of people on the floor and produces the key card to the apartment. The automatic lock beeps softly. Channeling all of his ninja energy, Gintoki opens the door, hoping that no one will be bothered by his sudden arrival.

However, reality is cruel. Gintoki lets out a curse when he notices the man standing in front of the other side of the door, arms crossed and a look of cold fury on his face. 

“Where were you.” Takasugi Shinsuke plainly states. 

“I was working part time.”

“I checked the schedule. You were free today. Try again.”

Gintoki feels like a deer caught in a headlight, but he retains his composure and bluffs his way through. “The manager asked me to fill in for someone this morning.”

“Is that so? Then explain, why were you not there when I went to buy yakult?” 

“Huh, that’s strange. Maybe I was in the toilet? More importantly, you look ravishing tonight.”

Takasugi sneers at him, his eyes blazing despite his cool voice. “I think it was because you were not there in the first place. You were probably playing pachinko.”

“I didn’t! Stop throwing baseless accusations, won’t you?”

“Gintoki, you asshole, I told you we are in the red again this month and that you need to tone down your gambling addiction.” 

“I know, I know, but I was not playing balls in the pachinko or anything!” Gintoki says, exasperated.

“Then what were you doing? Gintoki, I swear, if you told me you were at the horse track…”

Gintoki was going to save this one for later, but Takasugi is positively mad right now. He doesn’t want to prolong this argument any longer. He is tired, hungry, and just wants to be pampered right now.

“Here!” Gintoki throws the paper bag he is holding at Takasugi, who catches it easily.

“What is this?” As he says that, Takasugi peeks inside the paper bag. He finds a colorful rectangle object. “‘Edo Battle Records’?”

“You mentioned you wanted to play that game, so I searched for it. It was released a few days ago, so they were out of it everywhere. I had to go to Yokohama for that copy.”

Shinsuke inspects the game on his hand with a soft smile, his fury dissipating. “You don’t have to go this far. We can get the digital version.”

“Do I need a reason to do anything for you?” Gintoki sighs. He approaches Takasugi who is still looking at the game cover with an interested expression. “Is it really that good?”.

Shinsuke chuckles. “Well, we can see it together. I bet I can kick your ass easily.”

The game is a highly fictionalized account of the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, where everyone involved is significantly hotter than their historical counterpart and more sword beams are involved than necessary. Gintoki saved up what little money he got from his part time job and doing odd jobs around the apartment to buy that one game for his boyfriend. Despite his edgy look, Takasugi does like to play games, his favorites being mystery games.

“As if. You always suck with games like this. It took you the longest time to beat that one boss in Dragon Quest so I had to take over the game for you. Noob.”

“That was an old tale from a century ago. I am different now. Prepare to taste defeat, Gintoki.”

“Well, well, whatever. Shinsuke, I am home.” Gintoki says as he presses a quick kiss to Takasugi’s cheek.

“Welcome back, Gintoki.” 

* * *

Gintoki gets out from the bath, refreshed and freshly dressed. He was sweating really bad when he got back home because of the hellish quest to obtain the copy of the game. He offered Takasugi to take a bath together with him, but the man in question refused his offer and chose to plop himself on the sofa. The television is on, displaying a random variety show featuring a newly risen idol group, but Takasugi doesn’t pay attention to it. He is experimentally playing his guitar, testing out new chords and humming to himself.

“Shinsuke, today is your turn to make dinner right? What’s for dinner?” Gintoki asks, sitting down next to the dark haired man.

“Ah.” Takasugi suddenly looks up from his guitar.

“What?”

“I forgot to cook dinner.”

Gintoki groans. “Are you serious?”

“I thought you were screwing around gambling somewhere, so I figured no dinner is a due punishment.” Takasugi says without remorse.

“Oi, oi, give me a break here. Gin-san was running all around trying to get that copy of the game, he didn’t do anything shady at all.”

“Sorry, I guess.”

“‘Sorry, I guess’ my foot. You didn’t sound sorry at all.” Gintoki walks to the kitchen corner and opens the refrigerator door. “Holy shit, do we even have anything left? There is only yakult here.”

Takasugi shrugs. “Do you want to order take out?”

“Nah, you said we are in the red. It’s still early. Let’s just go out and grab some groceries.”

Twenty minutes later, the two men are standing in the lobby, dressed appropriately for a late night outing with their jackets on. The giant clock in the lobby shows that it is only a few minutes past eight. 

“Hey, Gintoki. We are not walking?” Takasugi asks when he notices Gintoki walking to the stairs leading to the basement.

“Nope. I am in the mood for a ride.” 

Takasugi doesn’t say anything. He follows the taller man down the stairs and emerges in their apartment complex’s scorching hot underground parking lot. Takasugi never mentions it, but he hates that basement with its weird smell and high temperature that makes it feel like you are entering a boiler.

Gintoki notices his boyfriend’s discomfort and says. “I will be quick. Stay here.”

True to his words, Gintoki arrives soon on his scooter. That metallic blue old thing could be considered an antique, but it still works perfectly fine, something that even Takasugi himself is amazed by. Gintoki’s scooter has had far more accidents than any ordinary scooter, though that is to be expected considering his owner is none other than the personification of misfortune himself. Gintoki apparently blew a lot of money and used his connections to famous tinkerers to spruce up his trusty scooter, though Takasugi doesn’t know why Gintoki feels the need to add a blu-ray to his scooter. The silver-haired man even claims that the damn thing could fly.

His train of thoughts is interrupted when Gintoki casually tosses a helmet. “Get on, loser. We are going grocery shopping.”

“Shut up, you moron.” Takasugi replies. He wears the helmet and carefully secures it around his head before hopping on to the motorcycle. He presses his body closer to Gintoki and places his hands on Gintoki’s abdomen. “Let’s go.”

“Hold on tight, honey.” Gintoki says in a monotone voice. “We are going on a driving date.”

“If you get a ticket again, I will leave you to rot on the streets.”

“Shut up, that was one time.”

The rest of the drive is peaceful. The streets are reasonably crowded. Well, it’s not something they could do anything about other than accept in silence. They happen to be stuck in Tokyo rush hour, and moreover, tomorrow is a weekend so everyone is dying to get some night fun before Monday hits. Takasugi hears the blowing car horns and the indistinct chatter from people walking on the street. The city is positively bustling with life. As Gintoki drives his scooter steadily, Takasugi rests his head on the taller man’s back. He is facing his left, taking all of the city scenery that passes them by.

Tokyo is bright. The lights from the neon sign boards are enough to make his eyes wince, but he still finds himself drawn to look at it all. Whenever he is riding on Gintoki’s scooter like this, he finds it easy to let go of everything and passively take anything the world throws at him, noticing things he never did before. He notices the tiny traditional sweets shop that Gintoki often frequents tucked away between two large electronic stores, a relic from the past stuck in the present. Takasugi sees the majestic skyscrapers that stood on the very heart of Tokyo in his peripheral vision, emitting colorful lights as if to attract attention from the city populace and to warn outsiders. The lights speak to him. _Look, our city is thriving._

“We have arrived, young master.” Gintoki’s voice forcibly takes him back from his contemplation zone. Takasugi realizes that they have entered yet another underground parking lot.

“That was fast.” 

“Time moves quickly like an F1 car as you get older. Get off, we are going in.” 

After they put away their helmets, the pair walks toward the lift that will carry them upstairs to the supermarket. They need to restock their groceries as their supplies are running out. Living together with Gintoki could be a kind of hell, as neither of them are the thoughtful types who plan ahead. Gintoki is a sleazy asshole through and through, meanwhile Takasugi is someone who had been taken care of by someone else since he was young, being a young master from a prestigious family. 

Gintoki used to rely on Shinpachi to take care of household stuff like this back then, but after he started living together with Takasugi, he couldn’t exactly ask another person to take care of his own household affairs. When Gintoki was still living alone, groceries and anything else was easy to take care of, because there was only him in his own house. Even if push came to shove and he was so hungry he could die, he could always crash at Otose’s place and ask for food. It was later that he realized how hard it is to take care of other people. Luckily, Shinpachi was a dutiful kid who knew what he was doing, so Gintoki could rely on him. Unlike a certain gluttonous little girl.

But now there is only Shinsuke here, and the pampered young master can’t be counted on at all on things like these. The pair often finds themselves forgetting about bills they need to pay, or groceries to buy. Sighing, Gintoki looks at Takasugi’s blissfully unaware face. They really need to get their shit together.

The lift door opens with a loud chime and the pair steps out.

“Gintoki, look at that.” Takasugi tugs at Gintoki’s sleeve, his other hand pointing at a bunch of animal dolls lined neatly on display near the entrance. 

“Shinsuke-kun, just because you are short like an elementary school brat, that doesn’t mean you can act like one.” Gintoki complains. Nevertheless, he follows Takasugi to the display. One glance is all it takes for Gintoki to realize that these dolls are cheaply made, but as far as dolls go, they are passably cute in an ugly kind of way.

Takasugi picks a white dog plushie with comically oversized eyes and hands it to Gintoki. “That’s not what I meant, idiot. Look at this one. Zura would love this.”

“Yeah, he liked his weird-looking animals. Do you remember Elizabeth?” Gintoki chuckles as he inspects the white dog doll, remembering how Katsura used to bother Sadaharu whenever he visited.

Takasugi frowns. “As if I could forget that rubber ducky monstrosity.”

“Tatsuma gave it to Zura, didn’t he? He certainly knew Zura’s tastes so well.”

“You don’t have to be a genius to figure out Zura’s unhealthy obsession with animals. Remember how the four of us went out to town and we had to bring him to the doctor to get stitches because he bothered the town cats and got scratched all over?”

“That was a classic dumb Zura move.” Suddenly, Gintoki grins at Takasugi. “Hey, do you want one?”

“I will pass. I am way too old to sleep with a stuffed toy.”

“Come on, dolls are for every age! You don’t have to be ashamed, Shinsuke-kun, just admit that you want a big doll to cuddle with, especially since you are small in stature. You must want to be hugged and feel safe, right?” Gintoki pats Takasugi’s head in a condescending manner, making fun of his short figure.

“What a foolish thing to say. Why do I need a doll when I have you?” Takasugi says. He shakes off Gintoki’s hand and turns away from the display. Gintoki is stunned, but only for a moment, before he breaks into a grin.

“Ah, that surprised me! You flirted back! You totally flirted back!” Gintoki puts the dog stuffed toy back to its rightful place among its ugly friends in a hurry as he chases after Takasugi’s back, hoping to see the shorter man's embarrassed face.

“Why are you making a fuss out of nothing. Isn’t it normal for couples to flirt with each other?”

“No way. Shinsuke-kun is so bold tonight. Want to try position 74 later?” Gintoki teases.

Takasugi’s ear tips turn red. “I will kill you, you idiot perm-head.”

“That can wait.”

The couple browses through the supermarket, grabbing food stuff and other tedious household things they need to survive living together in a metropolitan like Tokyo. Takasugi needs to restrain Gintoki physically from buying a premium pudding set, and Gintoki has to stop Takasugi from filling their trolley with dozens of yakult. Shopping time together is dangerous for their finances because it feels as if they are not only sharing their life and wallet, they are also sharing half a brain cell whenever they are together. 

“Gintoki, what else do we need?” Takasugi asks, pondering in front of an aisle filled to the brim with colorful snacks of varying sizes and deliciousness.

“Do we have enough detergent?”

“I don’t know. I think we do… or not.”

“Get your shit together, dude.” Gintoki sighs. “We didn’t even prepare a shopping list beforehand. This is ridiculous.”

“Let’s just buy it.” Takasugi says.

“What if we don’t need it, genius? What are we supposed to do with the extra detergent? Eat it for lunch?”

“The more the better, right?”

Gintoki groans. “Let’s just skip on that. I haven’t done my laundry since forever. I bet we still have many left over.”

“Gross. Don’t get too close to me.” Takasugi pushes the trolley away from Gintoki.

“Wait, wait, let’s get more snacks. Kagura mentioned she will be visiting soon. I don’t want her burning through our food supplies.”

“Go grab it yourself. I am checking out the dairy aisle.”

“No more yogurt or anything like that, okay? Just get some milk, for god’s sake!” Gintoki yells.

* * *

They were supposed to go home after shopping and cook their own dinner, but Gintoki suddenly realizes that it’s far too annoying and he’s already too hungry so he drags Takasugi to have a dinner date. Gintoki parks his scooter in front of a familiar traditional restaurant. This restaurant is one of Gintoki’s all time favorites, Takasugi remembers. He recalls Gintoki saying that this restaurant serves the best food in town, and the owners used to feed him even when he was broke so he had emotional attachment to this place as well. The first time Gintoki brought him here, he proudly introduced Takasugi to the owner lady and the other customers as his boyfriend. 

“This place looks a tad too retro for a romantic dinner date.” Takasugi points out.

“Shut up. Food is food.” 

Gintoki and Takasugi enter the restaurant and take their usual spot by the counter. The restaurant is old and doesn’t look anything special at all. It is hardly the best restaurant in the city, with its faded walls and antiquated atmosphere. Most of the customers are regulars who know the owner personally or just bored people looking for a change of place from the trendy cafes and fancy restaurants.

“Welcome, bosses! Anything I can do for you?” The owner says, smiling when he spots the familiar duo.

“A bowl of oyakodon.” 

“I’ll have the usual.”

“Comin’ right up!”

The owner starts to prepare their order. Gintoki turns around to look at Takasugi’s face. He is surprised to find that the other man is already looking at him.

“What, Gintoki?” Takasugi asks.

“Nothing.”

“No, seriously, what is it?”

“I said it’s nothing, you runt.”

Takasugi pinches Gintoki’s cheek, annoyed. “Who were you calling a runt?”

“Is there anyone else who’s small enough to hide in this tea cup like you?” Gintoki retorts, picking his nose in boredom.

“Asshole, just because you are a bit taller than me-”

“What, are you going to take it out on me? Can you even reach my kneecaps, Tinysugi-kun?”

The two of them continue bickering like usual. No real malice could be traced from their harsh words. Contrary to his raised tone, Gintoki feels rather content sitting there in a familiar place, trading verbal blows with a familiar man. It’s like he is back to the days where things were simpler.

“Here you go! One oyakodon and one Uji Gintoki Bowl!” The owner suddenly exclaims, handing over two bowls. 

Gintoki whistles in appreciation. “Wow. Thanks, old man. Time to dig in!”

“Thanks.” Takasugi says. Then, he glances at Gintoki’s food in disgust. “It still amazes me how you are not dying of diabetes when you eat crap like that daily.”

“One day, Shinsuke-kun, one day you will realize the greatness of azuki beans on rice and regret ever insulting me again.”

“I pray that day will never come, you freak sweet-tooth.”

“I suppose someone whose diet consists of yakult and bitterness wouldn’t be able to understand this great delicacy.”

“What kind of great delicacy, you are the only one in this world who is insane enough to eat that.” 

“Actually, you are wrong about that, young man. That Uji Gintoki Bowl is actually a hidden specialty of our shop.” The owner nods his head slowly, seemingly lost in thought. “Still, boss, I wonder how you were able to guess our shop’s hidden special. We never put it on the menu.”

“Call it a lucky guess.” Gintoki answers plainly.

“That’s even more amazing. I heard this is one of our great grandfather’s inventions, but pretty much only a number of people ever ordered it, including you. The other menu… It was named after that man from the history books- the demon something...” The owner trails off, trying to remember the name of the menu with great difficulty.

Gintoki looks up from his bowl of azuki beans on rice. “Hijikata Special?”

“Yeah, yeah! That is the one! The mayonnaise special! No one ever ordered it anymore I think, but the Uji Gintoki Bowl is still going strong, huh?” The elderly owner laughs. 

“Well, figures. As if anyone other than that bastard could stomach that dog food.” Gintoki snorts.

“Oh, boss! Do you know anyone else with such peculiar taste?”

“Just one person.” Gintoki continues to eat his food, and so does Takasugi. The owner finally stops the conversation and starts working on another order. The familiar taste of azuki beans combined with rice is as sublime as always.

* * *

“That took longer than I thought.” Gintoki yawns. After they finished eating, they realized that they missed buying a few things and had to go back to the supermarket to grab toilet paper and extra batteries like fools. Gintoki checks the living room clock and sees that it’s already nearing twelve.

“Gintoki, come help me with this.” Takasugi calls out to him from the kitchenette.

“”Kay, coming.” Gintoki walks to Takasugi, who is busy taking out the groceries from the bags.

“You do the putting away. I want to wash my body for a bit.”

“Without me?” Gintoki looks down on Takasugi, winking.

Takasugi kicks his leg in annoyance. “Yeah. Go die.”

“Ouch, that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?!”

Grumbling, Gintoki does the tedious task of putting away and sorting the groceries like Takasugi told him to. He has barely finished the task and is lazing around on the sofa, watching a late night documentary, when the light suddenly turns off. He turns around and sees Takasugi standing in the hallway, his face illuminated by the gentle flickering of a flame as he holds something cake-shaped. Gintoki suddenly remembers what day it is. After living a life as long as he is, birthdays are no different from any other normal days. The sun still rises from the east, the birds still fly, and Gintoki is still plagued with bills.

But still, it is a day that only comes around once in a year, and the man Gintoki loves the most in the world is spending it with him.

“Happy 180th birthday, Gintoki.”

Gintoki looks at him, smiling “You are 179 candles short.”

“Shut up. As if I can stick 180 candles on a tiny shortcake like this.” Takasugi replies. He joins Gintoki on the couch. “Make a wish, Gintoki.”

“I hope I will hit it big on the pachinko.” Gintoki closes his eyes and blows the candle, extinguishing the flame.

“What a worthless wish.” Takasugi comments as he removes the candle.

“Hey, that was a heartfelt wish, you know. Gin-san is offended.” 

“Whatever. Here, take this.” Takasugi gives him a small envelope.

“What is this? Letter of challenge?” Gintoki accepts the envelope nonetheless and opens it. His eyes snap wide open. He keeps looking back and forth between the smirking Takasugi and the scrap of paper. “You get me an all-you-can-eat voucher in that newly opened Tokyo branch of the number one sweets shop in the galaxy? Shinsuke, marry me.”

“You can eat all the sweets you want and not die from health complications. Isn’t that the best?”

“That is my childhood dream.” Gintoki puts on a droopy smile on his face, imagining the number of parfaits and other sweet, sweet delicacies he will be able to eat soon. “Thank you for the gift.”

“It’s your birthday after all.” Takasugi answers. He is smiling too, watching Gintoki happy makes him happy as well.

“I forgot about my birthday coming up. As you get older, you care less and less for birthdays and celebrations and whatnot.” Gintoki admits sheepishly.

“Is that so? So there is nothing else you want? I am willing to do anything for you today.”

Gintoki’s face turns serious. “Want to get down and dirty?”

“As usual, your pick up line is shit.” Even though he says that, Takasugi doesn’t complain when Gintoki pulls him closer. Gintoki crashes their lips together, almost hungrily. Takasugi lets himself be consumed as he returns the kiss with similar fervor. They pay no attention to the uneaten cake and the muffled sounds of the television program, focusing on each other.

Takasugi feels Gintoki’s body in front of him and the excitement in the air. He puts his arm around Gintoki’s neck, responding to his ferocious kisses. Gintoki pushes him down to lie on the sofa. The silver haired man stops the kiss momentarily, looking down to admire the sight of the man beneath him, breathless. Takasugi returns Gintoki’s gaze with an inviting smirk, tilting his head and exposing his neck to his boyfriend. Gintoki accepts the invitation and dives forward to Takasugi’s neck. He sucks a random spot in the shorter man’s jugular, enjoying the little sighs spilling from Takasugi’s mouth. 

Their movement is far too erratic and impatient. Looking at them desperately grinding their bodies, exploring every part of their partner, they look like lovers who have been separated for years without contact, and not two people who have been living together for years with unlimited time left.

* * *

When Gintoki wakes up the next day, he doesn’t find Takasugi beside him. He can’t feel the warm body that always greets him whenever he wakes up. Takasugi’s side of the bed is empty. The only thing remaining from last night is the messy bedroom as proof for their intense love making session and the leftover birthday cake. Before Gintoki could explore the worst possibilities, he hears the unmistakable sound of plates breaking and a muffled curse.

“Shinsuke, what are you doing?” Gintoki yells out.

“Don’t come here, Gintoki!” Takasugi answers from the kitchenette.

“What the hell happened?”

“Nothing happened.”

“It sounded too loud for nothing happened.”

He hears footsteps approaching and the door swings open, kicked by none other than Takasugi. He is carrying a tray filled with food. “Here you go, idiot. Breakfast.”

Gintoki watches Takasugi remove their night lamp from the little table next to their bed. The dark-haired man sets the little table on the bed in front of Gintoki and places the tray on it. Takasugi fills the tray with a monstrous amount of pancake drowning in a sea of maple syrup with extra ice cream and azuki beans on top. 

Gintoki notices the rather sorry appearance of the dish and grins happily. “Damn. Did you make it yourself?”

“You have a problem with that?”

“Nothing. On the contrary, I am very thankful for this.” 

“Is that so?” Takasugi turns around to leave, trying to hide the soft expression on his face. He is being far too emotional just because he sees Gintoki so excited and content like this.

“Where are you going?” Gintoki grabs Takasugi’s wrist, pouting. “Feed me.”

“Are those hands only for decoration? Go eat by yourself.” Takasugi shakes off Gintoki’s grip.

“Shinsuke-kun, today is my birthday, you know? I want to be pampered by my boyfriend. Also, I would really appreciate it if you wear a nurse outfit while you spoil me.” 

“Eat shit, Gintoki.” Takasugi says.

“No. I will eat the pancakes Shinsuke made with his love and I will have him feed me.”

“Don’t throw a tantrum like a brat, idiot. What are you, five?” Takasugi asks, annoyed. “I am going to take out the trash for a bit.”

The room door closes once more and Gintoki is left alone in their room. Suddenly the empty room feels brighter. Gintoki once again looks at the pancakes slash sweets monster before him, grinning dumbly. Takasugi is going out of his way to act nice today. That tsundere bastard is usually always cool and indifferent, but he’s being extra deredere now. Looks like there are some benefits to living a long life, after all.

Gintoki reaches for his phone on the floor, thrown away carelessly during last night’s rough play. He is going to take a picture of the breakfast and probably post it somewhere with a cringy lovey-dovey caption to show off his adorable boyfriend to the universe. He glances past the notifications, mostly birthday wishes from sites he uses. After turning into immortals, he and Takasugi take extra care to not get too attached with other people to avoid suspicion. There are very limited contacts on his phone, mostly apartment residents or his workmates, and few are close enough to actually celebrate his birthday.

Then, Gintoki notices a new message from Kagura.

The silver haired samurai opens the message quickly. Kagura is a very enthusiastic texter, if she knows that you are online, she will spam your chat with useless stickers until she gets her reply. Gintoki knows the right way to avoid deluge of stickers is to answer her as fast as possible. Kagura is still very annoying online, just like when she first received her cellphone back then, always spamming both him and Shinpachi with useless text messages.

Kagura sent him a picture of her posing in a space terminal somewhere, grinning her biggest smile. _‘Happy birthday, gin-chan! hope you aren’t bald yet ^0^ wish you the bestest year ever!!!! <3 <3 I will be coming to visit is that 0k? I can’t waitz!!! do you miss me? I am otw now!!!!’ _

Gintoki sends a sticker of a monkey picking his nose and texts back. _‘Thanks brat. Be careful now.’_

The phone beeps. Kagura already sends her reply. _‘OMG you didnt deny the bald part!!! gin-chan ur bald now? poor shortsuke!!! LMAO ROFL :DDD’_

Gintoki feels his brows twitching. He snaps a quick selfie and sends it to Kagura. _‘My hair’s fine, dammit. I am still the same hot Gin-san I was years ago.’_

Kagura replies back. _‘I don’t care lmaoo gin-san are u having breakfast?? looks delish!!! I want yakiniku!!!!”_

“Go get it… yourself, you annoying…. brat.” Gintoki says out loud and presses send. He selects a random bye sticker and turns off the phone after snapping a quick pic of the breakfast. He is about to eat when his phone suddenly turns back on again.

“Gintoki-sama, I wish you a happy 180th birthday.” Tama’s robotic voice could be heard from the speaker. Gintoki picks up his phone once more and he sees Tama’s face reflected on the screen.

“Thank you, Tama.” Gintoki answers.

“I deeply apologize for not being able to congratulate you in person, as I am occupied with maintaining the Terminal at the moment.”

Tama is a highly advanced robot equipped with the latest programs made by two of the best inventors in Edo, Hiraga Gengai and Hayashi Ryuuzan. She is valued highly as a machine and was entrusted in maintaining control of the Terminal along with other robots created by Gengai. After Otose’s death, she devoted herself to serving humanity. Tama’s main body is working tirelessly from inside the Terminal, maintaining order and calculating equations needed to make space travel possible. Space travel has progressed much in a century. When the Edo terminal was first constructed, it took months to travel to distant planets, but now it could be done in mere hours. 

Tama snuck a software copy of herself to Gintoki’s phone and she often annoys him like this ever since he left Edo with Takasugi for the first time after the war. Thanks to her, however, he was able to maintain contact with everyone he knew in Edo easily.

“It’s okay. Good luck on your job.”

“Thank you, Gintoki-sama. Good luck on your night job too.” 

“Yeah. Wait, what-”

“You were too rough last night. I felt bad for Shinsuke-sama. You need to take care of him better or he might leave, you know?” Tama says, her monotone voice sounds like bells of death to Gintoki.

“Wait, wait, you noticed? You heard all that?!” Gintoki yells to the phone, his face turning pale.

“Both of you were not exactly quiet. I am sure everyone on your floor was able to overhear you.”

Gintoki curses. “Shit. Shinsuke will kill me.”

“Then, I bid you goodbye. I have prepared a present for you. It ought to be delivered before nightfall.” Tama bows and logs off.

“Don’t run away, Tama! Come back and help me!” Gintoki begs at the dead phone, but receives no answer. And then he hears the sound of the door violently swinging open and angry footsteps approaching the room. Takasugi is back.

“Gintoki.” Red-faced and out of breath, Takasugi spits out his name in contempt. “I hope you are ready to die.”

“Haha, first of all, we can’t die. Second of all, what are you going to do with that chair-”

The residents of the 10th floor once again hear loud voices from the room belonging to Gintoki and Takasugi, but this time it sounds like a man’s dying scream and broken furniture.

* * *

“Gin-chan, Shortsuke, over here!” A familiar voice belonging to a certain girl calls out from within the restaurant. Gintoki follows the voice to a table near the corner with Takasugi walking beside him. The girl sitting there smiles brightly when she sees the silver-haired man.

“Yo. What’s up, Kagura?” Gintoki sits down in front of the girl, leaning forward to pat her head. Kagura doesn’t change much, she looks healthy and well and is still wearing that same double buns and red Chinese outfit. 

“I am all good! Gin-chan, happy birthday!“

“Thanks.” 

At Kagura’s insistence, they are holding Gintoki’s small birthday party in an all-you-can-eat yakiniku restaurant. Gintoki trusts Kagura to make the reservation in this particular restaurant because he has no idea which place is good from all the new restaurants in Tokyo. His favorite yakiniku place closed long ago, and he never found a new favorite after that.

“Here, I have something for you!” Kagura rummages through her bag and produces a statue of a sleeping cat.

“Thanks. What the hell is this?” Gintoki grabs the statue and inspects it with Takasugi, who is peering at the object beside him. The workmanship of the statue is masterfully done. From the weight and feel of it, Gintoki guesses that the statue is made from marble, except for the cat’s twinkling green eyes.

“I found that during one of my travels. The citizens of Planet Nekyo gave it to me after I got rid of monstrous mice plaguing their town. Apparently it can bring you massive material wealth. I figured Gin-chan needs that more than me.” 

“Maybe you can rise out from poverty now with that, Gintoki.” Takasugi smirks. 

“Shut up. You live with me so you are poor now. You are no longer a rich young master. Have fun assembling shelves from cardboard boxes with me for eternity, Shinsuke.” 

“That’s why I told you that being with this man would make you miserable.” Kagura sighs. “Shinsuke is young and good-looking, surely there are better men with better dicks out there compared to this disgrace to society.”

“Watch your language, young lady. I will take away your allowance.” Gintoki pinches Kagura’s cheeks.

“Ouch, ouch! You watch yourself, stupid Gin-chan! What do you think you are doing to the great Kagura-sama, the number one alien hunter in the universe!” Kagura yells. She rubs her red cheeks, glaring at Gintoki.

“What number one alien hunter, that title is cursed, you know? The last one who got called that went bald soon after.” 

“I am different from that baldy! I inherited the sexy babe DNA from my mommy. Besides, I can always manipulate my qi to restore my hair roots.” Kagura sticks out her tongue.

Kagura is still the same as ever, Gintoki fondly thinks. She is still the same tactless, rude, cheerful, and kind-hearted girl she was back in Edo. After the last attack on the terminal, the Yorozuya reunited once more and continued to raise havoc in Edo. After Takasugi’s arrival and subsequent move to Yorozuya, Kagura decided that it’s time to move out for real to give privacy to the couple. (“I am tired of walking in on you guys! Don’t you know things like that permanently scar your kid? Stop being so horny all the time!”)

Gintoki and Takasugi left Edo to travel a few years after Gintoki took the immortal blood. Utsuro might be gone, but the desire for complete immortality he symbolized still remained. The unchanging appearances of Yorozuya and his companion were going to cause rumors sooner or later, so the two of them left Edo. They remained in contact with their friends, and even came back to the city from time to time. The Yorozuya trio and one dog still did jobs together sometimes, with the extra addition of Takasugi, and it was the ordinary happiness that Gintoki craved. Being together with the people he loved the most in the world.

“You learned such an awesome technique and you are planning to use it for something like that? Your master would cry if he hears that, you know.” 

“Leave her be, Gintoki. You are being childish now.” Takasugi says.

“Papa! Daddy is being mean for no reason to me!” Kagura suddenly turns to her child form, wailing.

“I am not your papa. And stop crying! You are bothering the other customers.” Takasugi glares at Kagura, who is still faking her cries.

“That’s not good, Shinsuke. You need to address the age regression gag first. Honestly, it has been 150 years since you married into this family, and you can’t master the tsukkomi-boke routine yet. The Sakata family stakes their lives for jokes, you know.” 

“You are right, Gin-chan. Honestly, this one is simply not worthy of being your partner. His tsukkomi is lukewarm at best.” Kagura changes her appearance again, this time looking like a callous elderly mother-in-law disappointed at her son’s choice in love.

“You guys are being annoying. I am going to smoke.” Takasugi stands up from his seat and leaves them.

“Okay, we made him mad. Change back, Kagura. You look awkward like that.” Gintoki says. Kagura nods and turns back to her youthful figure.

Kagura learned the arts of qi manipulation from the Yato Elder, altering her appearance and prolonging her life is no big deal. However, her master passed away a century ago from natural causes. Even the awe-inspiring qi manipulation can’t truly give someone real immortality like the one belonging to beings of altana. Gintoki realizes that even Kagura can’t stay with him forever. Even the last branch of Yorozuya Gin-chan will wither away one day.

But until that day comes, Gintoki will spend each day with her as best as he could. So that when the time comes for him to say goodbye, he won’t regret it.

“How was your trip? Found anything good?”

“You bet I do! Listen to this one, when I was going to hunt the kaijuu terrorizing Planet Gozi, I met this strange animal…” Kagura talks about her recent travels in various planets across the galaxy, the aliens she slayed, and the people she met. She looks visibly excited as she talks about her adventure in a city on the clouds, insisting that Laputa is real after all.

Gintoki listens to her stories with a fond smile. He has heard those stories before, but he still listens to Kagura’s rambling. He used to think that cellphones were a pain in the ass, but he realized just how convenient it is to be able to connect to people across great distances. Kagura always sends him messages, sometimes she sends pictures of faraway planets, sometimes she rants about annoying people she encounters, or gloats about the enemies she defeats. Even without her by his side, Gintoki feels the connection he has with Kagura. And not only the one with her, but the one he has with everyone he knew in Edo.

Suddenly, Kagura stops talking. Gintoki looks at her, waiting for her to continue her tales. “What’s wrong, Kagura?”

“Gin-chan, I will not leave you alone. Shinpachi is gone now, so I gotta work his share too.” Kagura says suddenly. Gintoki is surprised by the sudden declaration, but only for a moment before he smiles and ruffles Kagura’s hair.

“What are you even saying? Even if you work for two, your pay still won’t increase, you know?”

“I haven’t gotten my salary since forever. But it’s okay. Both Shinpachi and I, even if you are a stingy asshole with permanent dead fish eyes, we still love you.”

Gintoki sighs fondly. “I might be a real bastard, but at least I managed to raise fine kids, huh?”

“We learned from the worst example and became proper adults.” Kagura grins. She takes out a glasses case and sets up a pair of glasses in front of an empty seat. “See, now all three of us Yorozuya are here! Time to party!”

“Don’t you think you are a few people short to start a party? What an impatient father and daughter duo.” Takasugi’s cool voice interrupts. He has returned from his smoke break, but not alone. A bandaged figure emerges behind Takasugi, grinning in a cat-like fashion.

“You are…”

“Kamui!” Kagura suddenly yells. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, if it isn’t my bratty younger sister. Big brother has work on Earth, so he figures he is going to meet up with an old friend.”

“Oi, oi, the space pirate king of the largest criminal syndicate in the galaxy has work on Earth? Give me a break, are you finally going to attack Earth?” Gintoki groans, looking at Kamui’s smiling face. Kamui reigns atop the Harusame Pirates as their fearless leader, leading the organization into higher levels of infamy. Just like Kagura, Kamui learned the qi manipulation, making him an unstoppable force in the battlefield.

“Give me a break, Gintoki. Even though the prospect of fighting both you and Shinsuke seems fun. I am not ruthless enough that I would attack the planet my family lives in.”

Kagura suddenly tenses up. “When you said you had work on Earth… You didn’t mean…”

“Bingo! That’s right! I am visiting my sister’s cute descendants! Wow, they really grow up so fast, right? There are so many little half-Yatos running around.”

Kagura screams in terror. “You idiot! Don’t spread your negative influences to them!”

“But I am not? Look.” Kamui grabs his phone and shows a picture of him posing with kids, every single one of them holding firearms and smiling brightly. “We were playing shoot the can together.”

“What are you doing, stupid Kamui!” Kagura leaps from her seat and attacks Kamui, who dodges it easily.

“Come on, I am just making sure your family will be able to protect themselves.” Kamui laughs.

“You are just being too much of a worrywart, Kamui-kun. Those kids descended from the most bloodthirsty couple in Edo, you know. They probably eat monster flesh for breakfast in the Okita household.” Gintoki says, bored.

“We don’t!” Kagura yells as she throws a punch to Kamui’s face. “We were a completely normal family, thank you very much, but then this guy had to come and picked a fight with him every time!”

“My little sister got married, so of course I had to come and offer my congratulations. Even though you married big brother’s former enemy. I was worried, you know.”

“Liar! You just joined Gin-chan and poppy back then because you wanted to fight him again, right? Admit it!”

“Yes, that too. But I was worried sick for you too, isn’t that right, Gintoki?” Kamui suddenly turns around and asks Gintoki.

“Well, you did move out from the Yorozuya and suddenly started living together with Okita. You gave me the biggest fright in my life back then, Kagura-chan. You just had to bring home the biggest scumbag in Edo. Think about how your fathers and older brothers felt.” Gintoki shudders.

The two siblings continue their childish spat, trading blows and only stopping when their food is ready. Gintoki takes a deep breath, tired. These two problem siblings are a constant source of headache for him. They and Tama are the only ones left, a bunch of problem children. Gintoki needs to take care of these brats to make sure they don't end up going astray. It doesn't matter if Kagura is already very old and has her own family. For Gintoki, Kagura will always remain as that brat he sort of adopted years ago. He hears a low chuckle from Takasugi, who is looking at the two Yato siblings who are fighting for the last piece of meat fondly. Gintoki recalls how Takasugi worked together with Kamui back then and how they retained their friendship even after the debt that Kamui owed him was paid. Kamui is probably Takasugi's Kagura, a bratty kid he had to take care of years ago and somehow stuck together.

“Ah, truly, children are the best.” Gintoki whispers. He fills his cup with sake and drinks it down.

* * *

When they get back to the apartment, they find a large package waiting in front of their door. Gintoki remembers Tama mentioning that she would be sending a present. He carries the package inside the apartment as Takasugi closes the door behind him.

“What’s that?” Takasugi asks.

Gintoki rips open the packaging and whistles when he sees the thing hidden underneath it. “She gets us a cleaning robot. Not bad, not bad.”

“Oi, you nearly forget this.” Takasugi hands over a note to Gintoki.

_‘Happy birthday to you, Gintoki-sama. I apologize for not coming over to see you. I wondered about what to give you, and then I decided on a cleaning robot because both you and Shinsuke-sama look like you are in need of extra cleaning service. Once again, congratulations. P.S. Gintoki-sama, you need to learn to control your libido or your relationship won’t last.’_

Gintoki glares at the post script. “Why is everyone so considerate about our relationship but they won’t hesitate to attack me like this?”

“Maybe it’s because you deserve it?” 

“Shut up, Tinysugi-kun.” Gintoki snaps. “Kagura actually refused to sleep over here. She said she wanted to visit her descendants, but her tone practically implies that she wants to give us privacy. And Kamui, that asshole, he just crashed the party and left after he was full. What a brat.”

After the birthday lunch, Kamui took his leave after his subordinates called him to sort out problems on another planet. Kagura didn’t leave, however, and Gintoki took him and Takasugi walking around without a destination around the city. Finally, they ended up at Kabuki-cho, the lawless district that they loved so much. Though most of the buildings they knew have been renovated or torn down and no familiar faces were seen, the atmosphere around the city is still the same as it was back then. Noisy, crowded, and full of laughter. Kabuki-cho remained a free city of steel even after there are no longer any Yorozuya in it.

Takasugi looks at Gintoki. “Well, even if she sleeps over here, we only have one bedroom. Someone is going to end up sleeping on the couch.”

“You are right. We can't do any night activities if she stays over. The ‘I will do anything for you today’ deal is still in effect, right? Want to try prison-”

Takasugi throws a magazine at Gintoki’s face. “Asshole. I took it back. The deal is off. Because of you, the neighbors were looking at me funny when I put out the trash this morning, someone even asked me if I am okay.”

“Oh, come on! We can use gags?”

Another magazine hits Gintoki. “No. I will do it my way.”

And that’s how Gintoki finds himself lying on the bed, eagerly waiting for Takasugi to come back from the shower. Call him eager, but Gintoki has already undressed himself. He hears the unmistakable sound of the shower turning off and braces himself.

Takasugi emerges from the shower with only a towel around his waist. His hair is still damp and water droplets are glistening on his skin, trailing down his naked body. Gintoki gulps and rises from his sleeping position. Damn, his boyfriend looks very sexy.

“Come here.” Gintoki orders in a low voice. Takasugi rolls his eyes and approaches the bed.

Before Gintoki can say anything else, Takasugi grabs the taller man’s head and kisses him ferociously. Gintoki returns the kiss with equal fervor, pulling the olive eyed man to his lap as the kiss deepens.

“Do it slowly this time.” Takasugi pants out in between kisses.

“So, no hardcore prison play?” Gintoki sounds disappointed. 

Takasugi gives him a quick chop to the head. “No, idiot.”

“Okay. Vanilla it is.” Gintoki kisses Takasugi’s cheek tenderly and slowly pushes him to lie down on the bed. “I take it you only want missionary and hand holding as well? Do we need to turn off the light too?”

Takasugi groans. It’s as if Gintoki’s hobby is to make everything needlessly complicated. However, Gintoki doesn’t try anything extreme this time. His touches are passionate, but not as rough as usual. It’s not like Takasugi doesn’t like it when they are experimenting in bed, but he is in the mood for something else tonight. The gentle touches are precisely what he wants. It makes him feel loved and treasured.

They continue their love making well into the night. Takasugi finds himself remembering the curious stares from this morning and places his hand on his mouth, trying to stifle his moans.

“What are you doing?” Gintoki says, panting. “Let them hear you, Shinsuke.”

“I am at my limit.” Takasugi whispers. Gintoki nods and Takasugi feels the silver haired man’s pace quickening. His own release is nearing too. Gintoki searches for Takasugi’s free hand and intertwines their fingers together.

After that, there are no sounds in the room, except for the quiet ticking of the clock and their own heartbeats. The room is so quiet, even the sounds of car horns and people walking on the street below feel like they come from a different world. Gintoki and Takasugi are stuck together, in their own little space, with only each other for company. And they love every second of it.

Takasugi suddenly opens his mouth. “I wondered how different things would be if Utsuro had someone who shared his immortality back then.”

“What kind of pillow talk is this?” Gintoki complains. Talking about the being who symbolizes the suffering and pain their master endured in his life and the very same person who they fought bitterly to the end doesn’t fall into the list of topic Gintoki would like to discuss after sex.

“I am just thinking about it. Living a long, long life is hard. If being alive means that we are not dead, what do you call a life without the presence of death? Can you truly call it being alive?”

Takasugi feels the body behind him shifting closer. “Shinsuke, if you want to die, we can move to another planet and let the altana in our body run out. I will be with you when that time comes.”

“Maybe, but not yet. I still wanted to get as many wins on you as possible.” Takasugi chuckles softly. He hears Gintoki humming behind him, as if agreeing.

The two of them sinks deep into the silence once more. Takasugi’s mind wonders once more. He remembers how he woke up after what seemed like a long dreamless sleep to Gintoki’s face. He had returned back to life after he lost his life bringing down Utsuro. Fate, or maybe, Sensei himself, gave him another chance. He remembered Gintoki’s dumb face looking at him when he opened his eyes once more after regaining all of his memories. That annoying face that Takasugi yearned for put on a shit-eating grin as he said. _“I guess even Hell couldn’t contain you, huh?”_

“Gintoki.” Takasugi calls his lover’s name once again.

“What?”

“Why are you doing this?”

 _This_. There are many things Takasugi could be referring to, but Gintoki knows what is it the dark haired man wants to know the most. Takasugi is wondering what it feels like for Gintoki, who has forged many connections with people throughout the years. Unlike him, whose connections with people were limited to his old friends from the war times and the Kiheitai members, Gintoki’s myriads of connections are too many to count. He saved and was saved by a lot of people, he conversed and laughed and got into arguments with many. He lived a great life as Yorozuya Gin-chan in Edo, surrounded by friends who are willing to both save and destroy the world for him.

He could have it all. He could live a normal life, experiencing a normal romance, obtaining normal happiness. If it was Gintoki…

And yet, Gintoki chose the simple but unending life with him. Gintoki, who had changed from a corpse-eating demon to a proper human being, and in the end, he turned back into a demon for Takasugi. An immortal demon who needs another demon’s blood to survive.

And so the two of them stayed together, in their youthful and undying forms, watched as Edo changed to Tokyo, as their old friends grew old and passed away, as the blood-stained samurai country turned into a peaceful country. They watched the foundations of the country that was set by Shigeshige and Zura blossomed into a country containing a multitude of kings, where skyscrapers dominated the land and alien ships flew across the skies and the people living in it could proudly welcome the visitors from outer space to their country.

“What if I told you that I just wanted to?”

That answer takes Takasugi by surprise. “You are really the stupidest samurai in the universe.” 

“Not as much as you.” Gintoki inhales before continuing. “Shinsuke. I am not doing this because I feel bad for you, who are stuck with the life of an immortal. I am not doing this because I want to make sure there is no more Utsuro in this world who wants to destroy it all either. And sure as hell, I am not atoning for anything. The reason why I took your blood, the reason why I am here with you, is simply because I want to.”

“You traded what little of humanity you have left for the cursed life of an immortal. What kind of idiotic reason is that?”

Gintoki laughs softly, burying his face on Takasugi’s hair. “I know. So simple, right? The me from back then, before I met those guys in the Yorozuya, couldn’t realize that. Human beings tend to realize the true worth of everything they had in the moment they lose it all. That’s why I won’t lose it this time. I will hold on to it with all of my might.”

Takasugi stays silent. He feels the body behind him moving closer and the arms around him tighten its hold, as if afraid that Takasugi would disappear when Gintoki admits it. But he won’t disappear. Not after he managed to be with Gintoki after everything.

“We took so many detours and caused so much unnecessary grief because we were too much of a coward to properly express what we wanted to say. We fought and clashed and let our swords did the talking, and somehow we were able to get our feelings across in the end.” Gintoki continues.

Once, Takasugi often dreamt of how different things could have gone. All of his regrets and desires mixed up and he dreamt about what-ifs that were too painful and blissful to think about. A sad dream where everyone he cared about was alive and happy, and both Sensei and Gintoki were with him in every step he took. When he was still living on the run, he sometimes woke up from that kind of dream, gasping for breath as if he had seen a truly vicious nightmare.

But now, he doesn’t see that dream anymore. Everything he regretted, he had grown to accept and let it go. He learned to not yearn anymore for the past, now he lived for the present and the future, along with Gintoki.

“I love you. I loved you then, and I love you now. That’s why I want to stay with you no matter what, forever. And I mean it.” Gintoki presses a kiss to Takasugi’s neck, his voice so soft and tender as he promises that.

“Heh, not only your hair, you certainly do have a silver tongue. Is that how you charm all those people?” Takasugi turns around to face Gintoki, his olive eyes glinting mischievously.

“Are you jealous? You know you are the only one for me, though.” Gintoki smiles at him.

Takasugi returns that smile. “I love you too, Gintoki. Even if the world changes, I won’t change. Even if all of our friends die and leave you behind, I won’t. I will stay by your side as your companion until this planet’s altana run dry, and I will protect everything that you hold dear.”

Takasugi grabs Gintoki’s face and pulls him in for a kiss. Their kiss this time is gentle, unlike their normal desperate kisses. Takasugi strokes Gintoki’s messy hair, relishing the intimate moment they are sharing right now. When they finally break apart, their faces are flushed. 

“Even after 150 years, your face is still as annoying as ever. The irritating face of the friend who kept standing in my way, the rival I wanted to defeat, and the man I chased and loved for so long…” Takasugi holds out his hand and caresses Gintoki’s cheek.

“I could say the same about you. I had seen enough of your face back then, but you came back to harass me again even after dying. Talk about obsessive, huh?”

Takasugi closes his eyes. “You told me you would be waiting for me in hell. It took you so long that I got tired of waiting and came back myself. But this... Maybe this is hell on earth. We are unable to die as long as this planet is intact, we wander the earth as vagabonds to avoid suspicion, and we are forced to witness the deaths of everyone around us until the end of time.”

“Are you complaining now, after all this time?” Gintoki asks.

“I am not. I have you with me.” Takasugi answers. “Come accompany me in hell forever, Gintoki.”

“I thought you were sick of seeing my face all the damn time, Shinsuke.”

The dark haired man chuckles. “When my left eye was destroyed back then, the last thing it saw was your crying face. That face was burned into my memory. I couldn’t forget it no matter how much blood I spilled or connections I severed. It haunted me. When I closed my right eye in the terminal back then, I saw your smiling face. And I thought everything ended, just like that.”

Gintoki softly caresses Takasugi’s back, encouraging him. He thanks the gods and Buddha and whatever it is people pray to that things didn’t end like that. That they were given another chance. Even though Gintoki lives close to death, witnessing a friend’s death never gets any easier.

“When I regained my memories, the first thing I saw was your surprised dumb face. It was the funniest sight I have ever seen in both of my lives. I thought that I have seen enough of your face to last me a lifetime, but I was wrong. Here I am, torturing myself to an eternity of looking at that ugly face. I am probably the biggest idiot in the entire universe.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Heh, you are right. I guess idiots have to stick together.”

“We are too much for anyone else to handle. The only one who can both protect and kill you is me, Shinsuke. Don’t you forget about that.”

“As if I could.”

Silence settles once more around them. The conversation has stopped, but there’s no need to continue it anymore. They have talked plenty and confirmed what they needed to confirm, and for the things left unsaid, they can always talk about it tomorrow. They have all the time in the world after all.

Takasugi hears Gintoki snoring beside him. _This asshole already falls asleep it seems, what a careless guy_ , Takasugi thinks. The former Kiheitai leader makes himself comfortable beside the sleeping Yorozuya and prepares to drift off to a dreamless slumber. And so Takasugi Shinsuke falls asleep, content with the fact that Gintoki’s moronic sleeping face is the last thing he sees before he closes his eyes for the night, and will be the first thing he sees when he wakes up in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Why is Gin-san celebrating his 180th birthday in 2020? Well, that’s my headcanon so please take it with a grain of salt. Anyways, my reasoning is that Gintama took place in a highly fictionalized Bakumatsu era (1853-1867) in which the power of the Tokugawa Bakufu was steadily decreasing. The Bakufu ended officially in 1868 and political power returned to the Emperor. Gin-san was in his late 20s during the story (at least 27-28 years old), so using the major event aka the death/abdication of the last shogun, I placed Gintoki’s birth year 28 years before the fall of the Bakufu, in 1840. 
> 
> P.s. guys have y’all seen the trailer for the Gintama final movie? It looks so good and my poor Gintaka shipper heart can’t take it anymore AAAAAAAAAAAAA


End file.
